This publication from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports on programs and funding for economic development, housing, community facilities, energy, infrastructure, and more.

Identifying Medicare hospice and home health providers as “high-risk” for fraud, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a six-month moratorium on new enrollment for providers, effective My 2026, as part of the Administration’s Anti-Fraud Task Force work.

For more information, please review the Federal Register notice for hospices and for home health.

Adding to their series of rural-relevant strategies for health providers, the Georgia Health Policy Center released a new brief discussing telehealth access, policy considerations, and barriers for rural communities such as lack of digital infrastructure. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the expansion of electronic prior authorization as part of its Health Tech Ecosystem initiative.

Building on efforts that began in January 2026, CMS is strengthening collaboration among health plans, providers, and certified electronic health record (EHR) vendors to streamline prior authorization for medical items and services. The expanded initiative brings together health systems, hospitals, physician practices, EHR vendors, and digital health developers—alongside payers—to enable end-to-end, consistent electronic prior authorization workflows across the healthcare system. Participants will also align with CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule requirements, focusing on closing workflow gaps and improving technical coordination across stakeholders.

Full implementation of electronic prior authorization infrastructure is expected by January 1, 2027.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that beginning July 1, 2026, eligible Medicare beneficiaries will have access to GLP-1 medications for $50 per month.

Eligible Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part D prescription drug plan will be able to access these medications through the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Demonstration, which will run through December 31, 2027. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge operates under the Secretary’s authority to test new approaches to care delivery under Medicare and is supported by CMS, including centralized processes for claims adjudication and payment to pharmacies. Part D sponsors will not bear financial risk for eligible GLP-1 drugs provided under the demonstration and will not be required to opt in for their enrollees to access these medications.

CMS will continue to work with stakeholders—including providers, pharmacies, and manufacturers—to support implementation and ensure all partners have all information prior to the demonstration’s launch.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a toolkit with resources for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to apply for the upcoming cycle of the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

Applications will be accepted through the ACO Management System from June 9 through noon ET on June 23. For more information, visit the Application Types & Timeline webpage. Email questions to SharedSavingsProgram@cms.hhs.gov.

Application deadline is noon ET June 23, 2026.